Figurative Nonalignment
by BlackPepper3964
Summary: Prequel to Forbearance. 'It's been two years since Sherlock's suicide when John first hears about a new police officer in Lestrade's division. It's another eight weeks before he actually meets her at the behest of Lestrade. Just who is this oriental woman with the dark hair and blue eyes, and why does she intrigue him so much'
1. Help

**Title: Figurative Nonalignment**  
**Author: BlackPepper3694**

**Summary: Prequel to Forbearance. 'It's been two years since Sherlock's suicide when John first hears about a new police officer in Lestrade's division. It's another eight weeks before he actually meets her at the behest of Lestrade. Just who is this oriental woman with the dark hair and blue eyes, and why does she intrigue him so much?' **

**A/N: John is twenty-eight in this fic and Sherlock is twenty-four - or would be, if he was actually in it, instead of dismantling Moriarty's network. So everything happened about four or six years earlier than it did in the canon Just before you start yelling at me for pairing these two together because of age differences. So now you can't complain because I've told you the ages, so it technically would be your fault for not reading this…. Muhahahaha. Don't really know why I just laughed evilly, but whatever. Enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 1: Help

It was at a pub night that still continued between he and Lestrade after Sherlock's suicide just over two years ago that John first heard about a new recruit in Lestrade's unit. It was a female police officer that seemed to speed through her cases, always putting the right people behind bars, and she had only been there for three months. He could easily hear the respect and partial admiration Lestrade had for her. He never referred to her by name throughout the whole conversation, and sounded even protective of her. He laughingly told John about her dislike for Donovan and Anderson, and her spiteful comments towards their on-off relationship. John didn't say anything on the night, but he did find himself unwillingly interested about this mysterious woman. Lestrade, on his part, didn't say anything about the lingering sorrow in John, or the feelings that he saw in his new recruit.

She was never mentioned again until seven weeks later. Lestrade's tongue had been unusually loose that evening, and for some reason, John had never realised until a few months afterward. He sighed. John noticed immediately, transferring his attention from their surroundings to Greg instantly.

"What's wrong?" He frowned.

"It's just the new recruit, you know, the one I told you about a few weeks back." John nodded, wondering where this was going. "You know how we deal with homicide? Have you ever seen anyone in the police force that didn't at least cringe when they first saw the scene, no matter how long they've been there?" John frowned, shaking his head.

"Can't say I have. There's always at least a slight hesitation when they deal with it. What has this got to do with her?" Greg drew a hand through his hair, frustrated and worried.

"She doesn't." John's eyebrows raised disbelievingly. He sighed again. "I mean it. She has no reaction whatsoever - she just takes in the scene and gets to work. There's nothing in her face at all. In her eyes, even. They're just…" He fumbled for the right word. "Dead. Indifferent, cold."

"Jesus." John uttered softly. "What do you think you're dealing with here?" At the question, Greg just looked confused. "Are you going to keep her on the force, despite her obvious lack of compassion?" Greg shook his head.

"No, I don't think it's like that. It's more… it's more like she's desensitised to it, used to it somehow. She's perfectly compassionate when she breaks the news to relatives and friends, very gentle. It's just when she's at a crime scene. We know she hasn't got a personality disorder of any kind, so that is ruled out. She acts normal as soon as she's finished the case." They both went silent for a moment, simply thinking.

"So what do you want to do?" Greg looked sheepish.

"Well, I was wondering if you would see her. I don't trust a trained psychoanalyst because they might just send her off somewhere. I need her in the force. She's the best on my team." He smiled crookedly. "Not to mention she keeps me entertained." At John's raised eyebrow, he blushed and hurried to say, "I meant with all her snipe fests with Sally and Anderson! God! I didn't mean that the way it sounded." John laughed and waved a hand in the air dismissively.

"I know. It's just funny to see you panic." He ignored the glare, contemplating the request. "Why do you want me to do it though? I don't specialise in psychology." Greg nodded.

"True, but you empathise really easily… but then, so does she." He locked eyes with John, making sure he knew he was being very serious. "If you do do this, just a word of warning. She's very, very perceptive. She knows what's going on before the rest of us do." John nodded thoughtfully, knowing why Greg was warning him. If he was going to do this, an emotional flashback was unacceptable. With that in mind, John turned his attention back to Greg.

"Okay, I'll do it."

* * *

**There we go, the first chapter! I'm not sure how this will be recieved, but i promise you this: it ****_does_**** get better! Well, review and let me know what you think!**

**BP**


	2. Curious Meeting

**Hello! I was planning to update once a week, but I seem to be writing this quicker than I thought I would, so you get the second chapter early! Hooray for you! It may or may not happen in the future, but i will definately update at least once a week. Enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 2: Curious Meeting

John sighed as he made his was to New Scotland Yard the week following. In a way, he was dreading this, but at the same time, he was looking forward to it and the contrast made his stomach curl. He didn't know, exactly, why he was so nervous, but it may have something to do with being under a gaze that may see everything once again. Reminders of Sherlock weren't rejected anymore, not like they were a year ago, but more… embraced with a bittersweet feeling. Uncomfortable, yet familiar.

Greg met him outside with a smile and he followed the DI through to his office. They both sat down.

"What I meant to ask her?" Greg shrugged.

"Anything you want to. I can't guarantee she'll answer though, she's a very private person." John nodded in understanding. Greg rang her and asked her to come to the office. She came in, and John blinked.

She was obviously of oriental origin and had blue-black hair down to her waist, bright blue eyes, and a black skirt with matching blouse and jacket. Her full lips were curled in a small smile. She gave a small bow, straightening as she said, "Hello, Lestrade." Greg smiled back at her.

"Hello, Kagome. May I introduce you to Doctor John Watson, Ex-Captain of the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers. He was discharged honourably due to injury. John, this is Kagome Higurashi." John noted how there was nothing about him personally, just his title. Kagome turned to him with a polite smile, gave a small bow and then turned back to Lestrade.

"What do you need me for?"

"Doctor Watson is here to talk to you." A simple statement, but the effect on Kagome was drastic. The smile disappeared and her tone was hard, angry when she next spoke.

"What about?" Lestrade looked as sheepish as he did last week.

"Anything. Anything at all." Her eyes darkened to a stormy blue and she looked at Greg carefully.

"I see." A cold smile stretched on her lips. "You think that just because I am used to death I need a therapist?" He grimaced.

"It's not normal for a twenty-one year old. It takes years for anyone to get used to it, even I'm still not and I've been doing this for eighteen years." A delicate eyebrow rose.

"And how many dead bodies do you see a month?"

"About one or two." She barked out a laugh.

"It's not surprising your not used to it yet. I was exposed to death every day from when I was fifteen until I was twenty. I was used to it after two years. And as for you -" She turned to face him fully, but stopped speaking suddenly. Her eyes widened as she looked at him and her breath caught. Finally, after a moment, she let it go slowly. "Oh. Oh, you poor man." Her eyes softened. She walked forward and leaned up to see his face closer.

"What?" His gaze shifted nervously between Greg, who looked curious, and Kagome, who was now looking around him, circling him once and then stepping back. Her hands clasped together underneath her chin.

"You definitely live alone, though you never used to, and you ring with sadness. Someone close to you died, and it must have been at least a year - it's sunk in, and you try to move on with your life, but it's so hard, isn't it? Ohh, they were your Most Important Person, your Someone to Protect. They lit up your life from it's otherwise dreary state, no action, no laughter, only pain and longing for a company to belong to. An adrenalin addict?" She raised an eyebrow, obviously amused. "Seriously? Although, I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise, given your history… ooh, you have some very dark secrets, don't you? 'Classified information' even to myself, interesting." She tilted her head to the side. "I might just talk yet."

"Really?" Greg's hopeful voice cut in. Kagome turned to him.

"Not yet. I have a case." He frowned in confusion.

"No, you don't." She snorted.

"Not that you know of. I have other work to be doing besides the police, you know - well, no you didn't. How could you know when I haven't said about it before… hmm, unless you were telepathic." Kagome continued her muttering, evidently distracted form her original topic of conversation. The two men ignored her for a moment. John sat, frozen, while Greg looked worriedly at him. Noticing the look, John shook his head with a small smile. With a suspicious glance, Greg dropped his worries - well, John was a grown man, one who had been through Afghanistan, Greg was certain he was fine.

"Um, so what's your case?" Immediately Kagome stopped talking, giving John an assessing look.

"Oh, just something for a friend." She smirked, waving a hand dismissively. He leaned forward, ignoring Greg's warning look.

"What is it about?" She looked ready to walk away, but answered his question.

"A little bit of tracking, hacking, and good old fashioned chasing." Her eyes lit up from the inside in excitement, even if her tone was detached. Her phone chimed and she took it out, humming as she saw the message. She looked back at them and gave another bow. "If you will excuse me, I have work to do." John stood up just before she was out the door. Lestrade didn't bother responding, knowing that things would sort themselves out from here on out, and the fact he had a lot of paper work to fill out didn't stop him at all. Nope, he wasn't bothered by it at all and it wasn't the reason he didn't even hear John and Kagome speaking and leaving the room because he was busy trying to make sense of it.

"When is your lunch break?" Kagome just looked really confused for a moment as her head turned slightly towards him.

"I won't have one until the case is finished." She walked out, heading to her cubicle and sitting down, immediately beginning to research something and making notes from it. John stayed in Greg's office for a moment, stunned at the familiarity of the statement, yet it was so different. Then a part of his brain, the part ruled by instinct honed by the military, demanded he move, go after her and find out who she was and what she was like.

So that's what he did. He walked until he found the cubicle and watched her work for a moment, noticing how she was completely focussed. As far as he knew, she hadn't noticed his reappearance at all, her back to him, so when she addressed him specifically, he wondered how she knew.

"Doctor Watson, why are you here? I am working on a case and I would like to be undisturbed." He was quiet for a few moments, blinking in surprise. With a sigh, she swivelled her chair round, crossing her leg and interlocking her fingers over her stomach.

"Can I help?" Kagome raised both eyebrows in shock, while he himself looked surprised that he actually said that. Kagome quickly regained her composure, suspicious and confused.

"You want to help me. Why? What I said in Lestrade's office should have forced you to keep your distance, surely." She mused. "Unless you're some kind of masochist, or an idiot…" She trailed off, clearly carrying on the sentence in her head.

"What? You mean you said all of that on purpose?" Kagome nodded impatiently.

"Yes, yes. It's usually enough to get people off my back and stay away from me." Humming thoughtfully, she continued, "For some reason, the people here seemed both used to it and yet disconcerted by it, any idea why that is?" She saw his gaze shift to the DI's office.

"No."

"Liar." She shot back, surprising him. No one else could tell, usually. Kagome smiled softly. "But you'll tell me when your ready, I suppose. No matter, we have plenty of time - after I finish this case. Which should be finished in exactly," She glanced at her watch, "Three hours and twenty-seven minutes." John cocked his head.

"How can you time it like that?" Kagome grinned at him.

"I've done this a lot of times, so I know exactly how long it takes me to complete a case like this, no matter who the Mark is." The grin was replaced with a small smirk. "And I like to have a time limit. It makes things more challenging and fun." Intrigued by the odd way she said it, John frowned slightly, about to ask her another question but didn't get the chance as her phone chimed with a message again. She picked it up with an annoyed frown that twisted into a rueful smile as she read the text. She collected her coat and bag, putting her phone into her pocket.

"Where are you going? I thought you had a case." John asked. Kagome didn't pause in her preparations.

"Lunch." The shortness of the answer surprised even as the actual content confused him.

"But you said you don't have food when you're on a case." Now she paused. He could practically feel her mind try to scramble itself for an acceptable answer while slapping herself for making a mistake. Then she was moving again.

"Um… I have to meet someone. Someone important. Don't ask." With that, she walked out. John stood there a moment, stunned and confused, unsure what to do.

Ten seconds later, he followed her out the door, just in time to see her getting into a _very_ familiar black car.

* * *

**Oooh. I honestly don't know quite what I was thinking when this was being written, only that Kagome should be just a teensie bit bitter and cold. That was explained in this chapter, and it will also be further explained in chapter eight. Reviews would be welcome, as I do appreciate them immensly and it does encourage me to continue writing. Anyway, I should be updating withing the next four to five days. :)**

**BP**


	3. What Does She Do?

**Hello! Chapter will be coming quicker now, I promise. Well, unles the internet at home doesn't work, but it should be fine. I've worked out how many chapters there's going to be as well, isn't that great!? Ten chapters and then I'm done. Though, I've been thinking about doing a Sequel recently for Forbearance, as this is the Prequel. Let me know if that it what you'd like! There might be two chapters coming today, due to the week long wait you've all had. Many thanks to my reviewers! Enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 3: What Does She Do?

Kagome was still cursing at herself when she got in the car, ignoring the assistant that wasn't interested in her anyway, too busy typing on her Blackberry - relaying everything she was doing to her boss. Idly, she wondered what the assistant's name was today. It was Madeline last time, Julie the time before that, and Maya the time before that. She didn't care very much, but she still liked to know. She tried to ignore the pressing desire to know, but lost.

"What's your name today then?" She barely looked up, not that Kagome expected her to. She seemed to consider the question for a moment before answering.

"Catherine." A small smile pulled at Kagome's lips. Sometimes it was like she was a child, trying different names everyday until she found the one she liked the most.

"Well then, hello again Catherine." Catherine smiled a little at her, actually raising her head to do so, before turning back to her Blackberry. The both of them were silent for the rest of the ride, quite comfortable in the silence.

Eventually, the car stopped and Kagome didn't get out right away, savouring the suspense of where Mycroft had taken her this time. It didn't last long though, and she opened the door and was unsurprised to find that she was in a warehouse, him taking her to one three out of five times he sent for her. She got out, ignoring the surroundings, and headed straight for Mycroft, who was sitting at a small tablecloth-covered table with tea cups and a pot. She smiled.

"Hello again, Mycroft." She greeted cordially as she reached the table and sat down, knowing by now how these meeting between them went.

"Mission going well, Kagome?" He asked with a knowing smile. She mock-glared.

"Yes, though you're setting me behind schedule."

"No I'm not." The reply was lightening fast, making her loose the glare, a small smirk replacing it.

"No, you're not." Kagome agreed. "I have exactly two hours and fifty-two minutes left. I only need half an hour to find the bugger. Then five minutes to deal with him, and that's if I'm slow." A devilish grin overtook her features as she poured out some tea. "Which I don't plan to be." Mycroft shivered. He may be the dominant half, for the time being, in their… partnership, but he knew that she was the more powerful and the more immediately deadly. He wondered what would have happened if she had fallen into the wrong hands, or if someone else had discovered her talent eight months ago instead of him.

"Indeed." He murmured, taking a sip from his cup. She looked at him sharply.

"Nothing would have happened. I would have continued as normal, Mycroft." She smiled crookedly. "I'm not exactly easy to corrupt anyway." Sometimes Mycroft wondered about that. He had seen her at work and the look on her face… he shuddered involuntarily. The smile vanished and she looked at him, concerned. Then her features cleared and she leaned forward as she looked at him with sympathy. "Oh, Mycroft. I didn't know you'd seen me at work." Insulted at his body for betraying his discomfort, he shouted at himself when he nodded stiffly. "My apologies. I know I'm not the most pleasant person when I'm working. But it's necessary, otherwise my compassion stops me when I have no intention of being compassionate." Her voice hardened. "I hunt beings that don't deserve it, Mycroft, you know that. You're the one who employs me, after all." He nodded, because for all of her cold-hearted efficiency, he wished he had hired her earlier. Mycroft sighed and went straight to the point of today's meeting.

"John Watson." Kagome's hand paused in bringing the tea cup to her lips. "You've been introduced to him." She didn't say anything, her hand putting the cup back down. She looked thoughtful as her hands interlocked underneath her chin that was so similar to Sherlock's 'thinking pose' he almost chuckled. After a moment, she spoke.

"I have." Something strange was in her tone. "You know him already?" There was a forced casualness there, covering over something dark and dangerous.

"Yes. We went out of contact two years ago." Recognition flashed in her mind. Something about two years ago that sounded so familiar. Something she had only heard in passing, but could now attach some kind of significance to.

"But you're still keeping an eye on him." She said quietly with a certainty that surprised him. The surprise was all the confirmation she needed. "Why?"

"Because he's important." Kagome, who, as soon as John Watson had been mentioned, hadn't met his eyes, locked eyes with him with an intensity he hadn't expected.

"Why is he important?" He sighed.

"It's personal." She waved a hand dismissively.

"Not anymore. I want you to stop." Mycroft raised an eyebrow incredulously and Kagome raised one to match, beginning a silent battle of wills.

"Why?" Kagome smirked, her eyebrow lowering.

"It's personal." The other eyebrow rose to greet it's twin. Using his own reply against him? Kagome's smirk widened. "Don't like it when you're on the receiving end? Tough. Now why is he important?" Mycroft sighed inwardly.

"He saved the life of someone very important to the Government." _You are the Government_. She thought. He hoped this answer would suffice. "So he is not to be harmed, am I clear?" Kagome's eyes narrowed.

"Could you stop me?" It was a challenge, a testing of boundaries and they both knew it.

"No, but we can bring out… certain variables to make sure that you'll have nothing left." Her eyes closed, and he knew that he was bringing up a visualisation to how that would turn out, how likely it would be they could trap her in such a way. By her small smirk, she would escape them. Mycroft sighed inwardly, well, the best they could do was try.

"You say John Watson is not to be harmed?" Mycroft nodded.

"Yes. On this I will not budge. Get to know him if you will, but on no account harm him." Her eyes narrowed and he felt alarm bells ringing in his head.

"Your lucky I like you. I'm not sure I appreciate your attitude." Her lips turned down and her eyes turned a stormy grey, a small amount of the killer he'd seen only once simmered under the surface. He held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. He'd overstepped the line and he was well aware that if she didn't like him so much, he would be dead right now. The beings she hunted had said less and been torn apart slowly.

"My apologies." Kagome nodded sharply, and the killer went back under lock and key, deep in her mind. She hummed thoughtfully and took a sip of tea. Then she nodded again.

"John Watson will not be harmed." Mycroft inwardly sighed in relief, knowing that, if she refused, there was nothing he could have done, really. But something told him that she knew that, and the threat was not why she decided to acquiesce. "And your surveillance will cease." Mycroft met her gaze again and saw something unknown in there.

"Why?" Kagome smiled, cold and predatory.

"Because John Watson will not be harmed." Her voice echoed with authority and warning. Mycroft knew he was misunderstanding something, because he didn't quite know what that had to do with keeping an eye on the good Doctor. Seeing his confusion, Kagome elaborated in the clearest way she could think of. "By anyone." Her voice had lowered dangerously, and she knew when her meaning was received when he kind of _slumped_ back in his seat.

"Of course." She raised an eyebrow.

"Of course what?" Mycroft actually growled in frustration. An answering growl came back and he looked, shocked, at Kagome, who had her lip curled, waiting for him to answer.

"Of course the surveillance will go, Kagome." He said, keeping his voice calm and smooth. He knew when to back down, and apparently, John Watson was a topic to back down on.

They finished their tea in silence and Kagome and Mycroft said their goodbye's.

Kagome grinned. "See you later." Mycroft smiled back, a genuine smile for once.

"Goodbye, Kagome." He watched as she stood and walked back to the car and opened the door. Just before she got in though, she turned back towards him and smiled teasingly.

"Oh, and Mycroft? Good luck on the diet and _do_ try to stay away from the lemon meringue pie!" She winked as she got in and shut the door, giving him no time to reply as the car drove away. Mycroft spluttered, wondering how she knew he was supposed to be on a diet, but was unable to resist have a slice of lemon meringue pie before he came here. He looked down at himself, wondering if he had left crumbs or something but there was nothing. Nothing at all to suggest anything. Then he sighed. She'd been at her tricks again. What did she call it again? Oh yes, _reiki_. Spiritual energy channelled by a singular human being.

* * *

Kagome chortled as the car drove along, wishing she could have taken a picture of Mycroft's face. She got out at her apartment, courtesy of Mycroft when she'd entered his employ, and went inside. She had just enough time to change and have a snack before she caught her Mark.

Forty-seven minutes later, she stepped out the door. Wearing tight-fitting, black clothes and with a settled stomach, she let the change take over. Her bright blue eyes turned a sharp, piercing grey that glowed eerily in the light and her lips turned up into a malicious smirk. Any sign of sympathy or compassion disappeared, replaced with indifference and a coldness that sent shivers down Mycroft's spine, who was watching from his office.

She slinked off, merging into the shadows surrounding her and disappearing. He'd get a call from her soon, telling him where the remains of her 'case' were so he could call a clean-up team to deal with it. He re-winded the footage until just after her personality change.

_Yes_, Mycroft mused, _it was most definitely lucky I picked her up instead of anyone else_. He stared at her, in all her lethal, dangerous, cold beauty. "Very, very lucky." He murmured to himself.

* * *

**Okay, I now have a definate updating schedule! Every two days, I update... at least for this story, not sure about the others. But hooray for you! You now don't have to wait so long! **

**BP**


	4. Getting To Know You

**You lucky people! I have given you two chapters in one day! Aren't I kind? Enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 4: Getting To Know You

John stifled a yawn as he through Regent's Park. He'd woken up early that day, for some strange reason, despite the fact it was his day off from the surgery. He took a left as he exited the Park and continued walking, no real destination in mind. He passed a little café, and was about to walk past it, when a specific shade of black hair caught his attention. He slowed just enough so it didn't look like he was staring as he checked that it really was her. And it was. Kagome was sitting there, calmly sipping her drink and fiddling with her laptop. He walked in, got a cup of tea and made his way over to her.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked lightly. Her head shot up, eyes wide as she recognised him, a smile crossing her lips.

"By all means, sit." She organised her belongings into a pile to give him some room. He thanked her.

"Case finished then?" She flushed and a wide smile spread across on her face.

"Yes! Finished three minutes ahead of time! A new record!" Despite her obvious pleasure, there was something darkly, coldly satisfied in her eyes. Something John worried about slightly, causing him to frown minutely. The pleasure immediately died and the darkness receded. "Is something wrong? John?" John shook his head, seeing Kagome so concerned eased his worries a little bit. Maybe he just imagined it.

"And your Mark?" Her smile dimmed a bit, turning more into a smirk.

"Oh, dealt with." A more definitive smirk made itself known. "Little bugger fought, not that it mattered." She shrugged, and her darkness made itself known in that little shrug. Again, he ignored it and wondered what to do with his day.

"Want to hang out?" Her eyebrow raised suggestively.

"Do you mean spend the day with me, or just snog?" John blushed and stuttered for a moment, flustered by her forwardness.

"Spend the day with you! I didn't mean…!" Kagome laughed.

"Don't worry, I was only teasing. I got asked that a lot when I was a teen by people in my school, and I used to think they meant to spend the day with me, but they usually just wanted to snog all day." Her nose crinkled in disgust. He smiled slightly. She looked cute when she did that. He immediately tried to shake the thoughts out of his mind, mentally banishing them to a dark pit. "So now I make sure to ask." She winked at him. John shook his head with a smile.

"So what do you want to do?" A sad smile crossed her face for reasons unknown to John, who didn't know what he'd said to incite that reaction.

"How about a walk through the park?" The sadness was gone from her face and though he was curious, he didn't mention it.

Their walk went very well, the two of them chatting like they'd known each other their entire lives. John told a few tales from Afghanistan, as she asked to hear some if he felt up to it, after he told her that he used to be in the RAMC. Strangely enough, she didn't react like most people did. They usually said it must have been exciting and they thought that it was some kind of adventure. Kagome did none of those things. Instead, she listened attentively and didn't say a word.

He looked at her closer and lost his train of thought, his words dying in his throat. She didn't seem to notice, and just stared at a water fountain nearby. John knew the look in her eyes - after all, he'd seen it in the higher-ups and the men who'd stayed for the longest in Afghanistan, he saw it in himself every time he woke up from a nightmare early in the morning as he looked in the mirror. It was the look of the war-scarred, a look of the people who have seen and done terrible things, people who should have died many times over. She knew what he was talking about, to some extent, she knew how he felt because she evidently felt it herself. And now, lost in her own memories, eyes glazed and not even realising that John had stopped talking, Kagome gave him the opportunity to see beneath her outwardly happy, yet serious, persona. He saw a deeper, darker, pain-ridden part of her that he found he could relate to.

It took Kagome a while to realise that John had stopped talking, but when she did, she shook her head, bringing the happiness back and blushing in embarrassment. He knew it was false - at least the happiness, because he could still see the shadows in her eyes.

"Sorry." He shook his head with a soft smile.

"It's fine. What were you thinking about?" A bright, fake smile overtook her features.

"Nothing. Just… nothing." He frowned slightly and led her away from the other people surrounding them, sitting her down on the grass beneath a tree. He sat in front of her, cross-legged, leant forward and watched her intently until she finally broke with a loud sigh. He almost smiled in amusement at her dramatics, but refrained, knowing that it wouldn't be well-received.

"Let me tell you a story," She said. "About a girl and a boy. It's quite happy, at first…

Once upon a time, there was a girl who fell down a well. She appeared in a strange land that she soon realised was the past, five hundred years ago. She met a half-demon who tried to kill her for the jewel that was in her body. He failed and they became friends quickly. The jewel that was in her body was a powerful one, one that could grant any wish, but only once. It was a dangerous relic, and in the wrong hands could bring down complete destruction onto the Earth. The girl also discovered that she was a powerful priestess, a reincarnation of another powerful priestess who had been the previous protector of the jewel. The jewel was immediately stolen and in the retrieving of it, she accidentally shattered it into a thousand pieces.

They both set out to collect the shards, before another being with less pure intentions could do so. Along the way they met a young fox demon, the half-demon's full-demon brother, a Buddhist monk with a penchant for being lecherous, a charming wolf demon, and a demon slayer. All had been affected by one half-demon who had also been gathering shards of the jewel and terrorising everyone.

It took many years, four in all, for the shard to be collected and during that time, despite all of the danger and strife, laughter was a common sound. Everyone was happy with their lives at the time, the friends would never had met if the young priestess hadn't shattered the jewel, and even with all of the death… they wouldn't have it any other way. Battles were frequent and there were times when the group was unsure if they would all make it for the final battle, the destruction of the evil half-demon. But these troubles only brought them all closer together.

There was a period, after the jewel shards were collected of tense waiting. They trained vigorously, worrying that any day now, the evil half-demon would attack. He didn't do so for six months, and during that time tensions rose and the group all became irritable with each other. It was the young priestess who recognised that, and she immediately set it right, knowing that the only way they were going to win was if they all worked together - in-fighting would only lead to disaster.

The final battle was here at last, and the whole group were optimistic about the results… they shouldn't have been. They should have looked at the probability that they would win. The evil half-demon had most of the jewel, and had several minions behind him. Not to mention he had moved his heart to a different location, so he was practically invincible anyway. The group had brought along a fair number of allies, all of which they acquired over the years." Kagome took a deep breath, finding it harder to continue. John noticed and looked concerned, but didn't see the relevance.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" She nodded.

"Fine, just a bit breathless." John nodded and she continued with her 'story'. "It was the worst battlefield they had ever engaged in. The young priestess was using her spiritual powers and her training to help as much as she could. In fact, she was doing the best out of all of them, as the evil half-demon had released a poisonous miasma that disorientated the group, but the priestess could purify the air around her naturally, so she wasn't affected. It wasn't a lethal dose, only enough to make sure everyone made a few mistakes. Even with that help for him, the evil half-demon found that his minions were gone, and it was just he and the group that now consisted of the priestess, the half-demon, the half-demon's older brother, a fire cat demon, a small fox demon, a Buddhist monk, a demon slayer and a wolf demon. Even with those odds, it was hopeless.

The evil half-demon sent out hundreds of low-level demons to distract them all, so they weren't paying attention to him. Then…" Kagome choked on a sob, unable to continue, tears streaming down her cheeks. John snapped out of the trance-like state he'd fallen into, listening to her story, and immediately knelt next to her, trying to see what was wrong.

"Kagome? Kagome, what's wrong?" She waved her hand, trying to downplay her distress, forcing herself to stop crying. There'll be time for that later.

"I'm fine, John. This story is just so sad, I cry every time I get to that point." She started to wipe her cheeks of tears, her voice still a bit wobbly. "I don't think I'll be able to tell you the rest today. Do you mind if I put a rain check on it?" John shook his head, frowning concernedly.

"Of course not. Look, I'll take back to my flat and I'll make you a nice cup of tea. How does that sound?" He pitched his voice quiet and low, not too much comforting so as to not cross the line into patronising. She nodded and let him help her up and followed him out of the park to his flat.

Later, a warm cup of tea in hand, she whispered, "Thank you John."

He smiled.

* * *

**Phew! Kind of glad that one's over. I had several drafts of this chapter before I decided that this one was the best. Which says a lot for my imagination recently. The next chapter is (I think) a lot better. Anyway, reviews would be welcome, especially for this chapter (it is probably the worst one in this story, bar one). Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

BP


	5. Dangerous Association

**Sorry for the delay, the internet wasn't working last night. It's like I jinxed myself by saying about my new updating schedule! The first time I mention it and it's already ruined! Just for that, I'll give you two today. Actually, I might as well do that every time I update... Anyway, enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 5: Dangerous Association

It has been a week since Kagome started telling the story but never finishing, and John is drinking his evening tea when the doorbell rings excitedly and impatiently. He and Kagome have met at every other opportunity they could after that day, so he wouldn't be surprised if it was her. It's unlike her to be so impatient when ringing the bell though. He got up and went to the door, finding Kagome, flushed and panting, standing in the doorway.

"Case!" She bounces in the flat, leaving him holding the door open with a bemused smile on his face. "I have another case!" She giggles happily. John closes the door and grabs at his tea before she does in case she intends on doing something like pour it down the sink.

"From who?" She gives him a look, one he's been well acquainted with when around her. The 'stupid-question' look is one that she gives surprisingly often - not only to him, but to anyone who deserves it.

"Mycroft, obviously." John had confronted her about meeting Mycroft three days ago. At first she tried to deny it, but after he told her that he saw her getting into one of his cars, she spilled out that Mycroft was the 'friend' she took cases from. Technically, he employed her, but she said that she had a choice about whether or not she actually took them - if she thought it would be boring, she didn't take it. Seems like this one was an interesting case. John didn't tell her about Sherlock and the Fall, or Mycroft, and she didn't ask.

"What's this one about then?" She grinned.

"This one is killing people, both people who work for the government, and innocent civilians! Isn't it great? An interesting case, at last! The drivel the Yard keeps me occupied with isn't nearly so fun, because there I have to follow protocol. With this, I can do what I like!" The darkness was back, he noted, knowing that it really happens sometimes. Usually it happened when she was speaking about cases, but it happened when they talked about his past in the war, and she avoided her own. But the darkness never stayed long enough for him to identify exactly what was in it. The same was true in this instance.

"Yes, thrilling." He said dryly. Kagome stopped bouncing around the room, turning towards him suddenly.

"Do you want to come?"

"What?" The question was so sudden, it threw him off. One minute she's hyper, the next she serious and asking him to go with her?

She sighed impatiently. "Yes, John. Do you want to come with me? It's obvious you miss the action and adventure of a chase, something you haven't had in a while. So, logically, it would make sense if you came with me, yes? I get to spend time with you and you get your adrenalin rush, agreed?" Still slightly confused, John nodded.

"Okay then." Kagome grinned.

"Excellent! Let's go!"

It took fifteen minutes of walking for John to realise that they didn't actually seem to be going anywhere, so he turned to look at Kagome. As she was walking, she seemed to be watching for something in particular.

"Umm…Kagome?" She hummed distractively. "Where are we going?" Her eyes shot to his.

"The last place he killed. I need to see it to be able to begin my task." He frowned in confusion.

"How is that going to help you now? When was the last murder?" Kagome had slowed down, clearly splitting her attention between looking and paying attention to him.

"Yesterday. The one before that was five days ago. The one before that, nine days ago. Judging by the pattern, the next kill will be either today or early in the morning tomorrow. I'm counting on it being today." Her eyes narrowed in determination. "That way I can get them when they try tomorrow. I just need a fresh crime scene, and then I'm sorted." John frowned but didn't comment. If Kagome noticed her companions discontent, then she didn't say anything either.

They turned a corner, where the crime scene had already been cleaned away. Kagome moved forward slowly, making no noise as she looked around the surroundings. They were in a fairly thin alleyway, empty, which was probably a result of the clean-up team. Normal things out the way, she closed her eyes. To the side of her, John watched curiously. What was closing her eyes going to achieve?

She moved forward even more, her mind concentrated on controlling her reiki, her eyes now opening half way. She saw the disturbance, the feeling of nothing where the body used to be, and knelt down next to it. She gently touched the ground and groaned. Oh dear, this one was sad. Just an innocent roped in by a maniac, really. Not even a government official. Well, she was informed they did both, but still…

"Perfect." She stood up, a triumphant smile on her face. "Let's go." And she took off running. After what, he didn't know, but he couldn't stop a small grin as he ran after her. He kept up with her easily. She turned to him, not slowing down in the least. "Okay?" He nodded, confused. She grinned. "Great. Keep up then." Then, amazingly, she _sped up_, leaving him gaping after her. He grinned and rose to the challenge, revelling in the rush and the wind blowing against his face in the streetlights. They got all the way to the Thames, where Kagome stopped, pacing at the rails, like a dog that's lost the scent. Which she had.

"What's up?" He wheezed, trying to get his breath back. She growled in frustration, glaring at the water.

"It's gone."

"What is?"

"The track." She drew a hand through her hair and sighed heavily. "Oh well." She looked at him with a wry grin. "At least you got your adrenalin. Do you want to crash at my place? It's closer and it's getting late." He smiled at her, still panting heavily.

"You sure?" She nodded, not even slightly out of breath. "Thanks." He eyed her - ruffled hair gently swaying in the slight wind, slightly flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes - and thought she'd never looked more beautiful. He immediately blushed and coughed, looking away from her quickly. She grinned deviously.

"Race you back." While part of him was eager to do it, another part of him protested.

"No. Where the hell did you learn to run like that?" Kagome shrugged sheepishly.

"I travelled a lot and learned things. Plus there's the training program the police put you through." He huffed out a disbelieving laugh.

"I was in the Army. You do not learn to run like that there. Not without getting out of breath. We were running for a good ten minutes, how can you not be out of breath?" The darkness was back, he noted. She smiled mysteriously.

"Practice." He raised both eyebrows, but didn't ask anymore questions.

"Walk back then? Or do you want a taxi?" He felt the ache in his limbs, and the general heaviness of his body and knew that he might not last the walk back.

"Taxi, please." She nodded and they walked to the road. She lifted one arm and one immediately turned the corner, coming to a stop in front of them. He was so surprised that he didn't even listen when she rattled off the address of her apartment. That makes two people in his life that are able to summon a taxi immediately. He managed to stay awake for the journey, though it was becoming a bit difficult. Kagome ended up helping him up the stairs to her bedroom. He tried to protest, but she ignored him.

"Kagome, this is -" She put a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"You need this bed more than I do, John. I have work to do anyway, so I won't be here to take advantage of you." Kagome winked, making him smile sleepily. She helped him climb into bed and pulled the covers over him. "Good night, John."

"G'night." She walked out, turning off the light and closing the door behind her.

* * *

The next morning, John walked into the kitchen, glancing in the living room as he did so. He was just putting the boiling water into the cup when he realised what he just saw. He finished making his tea quickly and stepping into the living room carefully. A large map was on the wall and white and red strings criss-crossed over it. Papers and newspapers were scattered all over the table, the floor and the sofa. Kagome looked up from her place on her sofa, noting down something from her laptop, and smiled warmly.

"Good morning, sunshine." John blushed at the nickname and nodded his head, seeing the absence of dark circles under her eyes, no heaviness in her eyelids, no slurring or slowed down speech, no delayed responses. How does she _manage_ that? Does she just go over twenty-four hours without sleep every time there's a case?

"Good morning, Kagome. Did you not sleep at all?" She shook her head, still smiling warmly.

"I don't sleep on this kind of case. Why sleep when there's finally something interesting? Did you sleep well?" He smiled slightly.

"Yes, your bed is incredibly comfortable." Inwardly, he marvelled at his response to Kagome. Despite being near someone so very similar to Sherlock, he was feeling no emotion other than content. In such a short time, he'd become very comfortable with her… but then, he had done the same with Sherlock. "Thank you." Though he was thanking her for the bed, something was slightly off in his voice, and they both knew it.

Kagome stood up and walked to him. She smoothed his hair down and smiled brightly. "You're welcome." There was a double meaning to her words and she was sure he had received the message. She went back to the sofa and sat down, her attention caught by an email from Mycroft.

John had just sat down on the sofa and was just about to put his tea down on the table when Kagome screeched in happiness. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Thank you!" She looked at John in excitement, but swallowed guiltily when she saw him. John was holding his hand carefully, tea spilled everywhere, and hissing in pain. He noticed her guilty gaze and shook his head, sighing. She cringed, expecting to be yelled at, or him to walk out. He got up and she closed her eyes in resignation, but when she heard the water running in the kitchen they shot open again. She got up quickly, nearly jogging into the kitchen and watched him as he treated his hand.

She did momentarily debate with herself whether or not it was a wise idea to out herself by healing him, but her self-preservation won out. She went to the bathroom and got her first aid kit, bringing it to the kitchen and handed it to John, looking away awkwardly.

"Thanks." His voice was tight, but gentle.

"I'm sorry." He looked at her and smiled crookedly.

"Don't be. I used to be used to this kind of thing. I had a flat mate three years ago and he was really eccentric - he used to do experiments on the kitchen table and used to keep body parts in the fridge. I think the worst was a head, eyes still there and everything, just looking at me when I opened the door." She looked both grossed out and interested, and he laughed gently. "And do you know what he said when I asked why it was there?" She shook her head. "He said, 'I'm measuring the coagulation of saliva after death." She burst out in shocked laughter. "When I asked him why it was in the _fridge_, he just asked where else was he supposed to put it?" The laughter had simmered down into giggles and he grinned, glad he'd distracted her from her guilt. "So, how's the case going?"

"Oh yes, there was another victim last night, and we have been invited to the crime scene!" She practically skipped to the bathroom and closed the door. He shook his head fondly, smiling at her antics.

* * *

Less than an hour later they walked into the crime scene, Kagome with a skip in her step and John with a polite interest. She didn't bother greeting anyone they met on the way, only gave her name, her gaze fixed firmly ahead. They let her in immediately, and he followed her, wondering why his presence wasn't questioned. They went straight to the body and the DI in charge. Kagome didn't greet the DI either, and he didn't try and engage her, though he clearly wanted to. Maybe he had orders not to. John went to the side and watched her work.

She was silent for a moment, taking in the scene and then kneeling next to the body looking at it closely. It was a gruesome sight, but she seemed unperturbed by it and John was able to see what Lestrade was talking about two, three weeks ago. Her eyes were steely, unbothered by the sight. As Greg had said, indifferent, cold, desensitised. Those eyes widened for a second before they closed completely, her face paling so fast he thought she might faint. They opened into slits a second later and she stood, looking around the body and at the ground surrounding the body.

"Oh _shit_." One of John's eyebrows rose, wondering what could have caused Kagome to go so out of character as to curse. She whipped out her phone and walked to the nearest security camera, which was facing them, incidentally, and frowned at it. She gestured to her phone impatiently. Seconds later, it rang. John's other eyebrow rose. It was fairly obvious to him she wanted to call Mycroft, but what had cause him to respond so quickly? As she turned to look at the scene again as she answered the phone, he had an idea. The look on her face was thunderous, and if that wasn't enough, as she talked, just out of hearing range, it got darker and darker until he, even from the distance he was at, was able to see the darkness in her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me that it was a special one?" She hissed into the phone. When there wasn't a response, she spoke again. "I was letting John accompany me! You knew I was! Why wasn't I informed?" Again, silence. "I don't know who to be angry at, to be honest, you or me." Silence.

Then, "I apologise. I didn't know you were unaware that it was a special case, I thought you would have picked it up from the way the people were killed, but obviously not."

"Do _not_ get high handed with me, Mycroft Holmes. I am not in the mood to humour you today. I should have been informed from the start."

"What are you really angry about, Kagome?" She growled. _Damn him._

"John Watson is in danger. And do you know what happens when someone under my protection is threatened?"

"Oh." The anxiousness in Mycroft's voice was unmistakable. She hissed in satisfaction, looking back at the camera, knowing he was watching her. Knowing he could see the change in her. Kagome smiled coldly.

"Yes." She purred. "Those who threaten John Watson will never be seen again. At least, not in one piece, physically or mentally." She heard Mycroft draw in a deep breath. She hung up, smirking at the camera. Then she quickly drew up a plan to make sure John would be safe for as long as necessary - essentially, for the rest of his life. Her whole countenance saddened momentarily for what she was going to have to do, the friendship she was about to loose… but sacrifices were sometimes needed to win overall. She settled her shoulders in determination and made her way back to the crime scene, ignoring the DI whose name she never learnt. She took another long look at the body and then turned to John. "Off we go then." She deliberately made her voice as cold and detached as possible. Thank God for her training with Sesshoumaru.

John looked confused for a second. "Okay." And then turned to follow her. They went back to her apartment, where she sat down on the couch. John sat near her and watched her for a second before wondering why they were back here. "Kagome, why are we back at your apartment? I thought you said all we'd need would be yesterday's murder and then you'd be able to catch the killer." Kagome turned to him slowly and he frowned inwardly at the expression on her face. It reminded him a lot of Mycroft - boredom, mild pity and patronising sympathy. It immediately put him on edge and made him a bit wary with her.

"It bored me John. I thought it was exciting at first, but it's just boring drivel after all. What's the point in solving it?" He frowned outwardly now.

"But you hated that the killer had taken lives, and I knew you wanted to prevent the one that's apparently going to happen today." She scoffed and waved a hand dismissively.

"Even if I wanted to catch them, I have no way of knowing where they were going to kill next, so how would I prevent it in the first place?" Kagome inwardly winced at the lie, she hated what she was doing now, but it had to be done. _Just a few more uncaring comments and he should be off, Kagome, if you can just do that, you have the rest of your life to regret it._ John gaped at her now, shocked at her sudden change in attitude.

"'Even if you wanted to'? You mean you don't want to?" She raised an eyebrow in a '_you-can't-seriously-be-this-stupid_' expression.

"Of course not. Like I said, it's boring." His face twisted in disappointment.

"And the loss of life?" She crossed her legs and looked him in the eyes with her most unaffected look.

"Not my problem." John spluttered.

"Not your…? How can you not care, Kagome? For God's sake, I saw you cry with a telling a measly little story that was a little bit sad!" Kagome's lips gained a sardonic quirk while her blood boiled furiously, but she kept it down, knowing that he didn't know that it was all true.

"Oh that? That was just for show. Had to reel in the poor doctor somehow, didn't I? And here I thought that you might be useful to me, but if all you're going to do is complain about how 'uncaring' I am, then you should leave." John stood up, outraged by her audacity. He walked without comment to the door, but just before he got there he turned back around.

"You are probably the worst person I've ever met, bar one. I thought you had a heart, but obviously not." With that, he turned the handle and stalked out of the apartment. He didn't look back, which was lucky for Kagome's plan.

"You're right, I don't have a heart." She murmured, turning towards the window. A tear ran down her cheek.

"You have it."

* * *

John entered his flat, still fuming. How could Kagome just announce that the case bored her? That she didn't care? He was so occupied by his infuriating thoughts that he didn't notice another presence in his living room until he turned the light on.

There, in his armchair, sat a fairly tall man with stripes on his cheeks that looked like tattoo's and red eyes.

"You are John Watson, yes?" Confused about how this strange man got in his flat, John nodded cautiously, a frown creasing his forehead. "Well then, I am not at all sorry to say that your association with Kagome Higurashi has killed you, or will do."

Wait, what?

* * *

**Reviews, as always, would be welcome. As I'll be updating again today, there really nothing to say... yeah.**

**BP**


	6. You're Joking

**There. As promised, another chapter. Enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 6: You're Joking

_There, in his armchair, sat a fairly tall man with stripes on his cheeks that looked like tattoos and red eyes._

_"You are John Watson, yes?" Confused about how this strange man got in his flat, John nodded cautiously, a frown creasing his forehead. "Well then, I am not at all sorry to say that your association with Kagome Higurashi has killed you, or will do."_

_Wait, what?_

"What do you mean by that?" The man sighed.

"Are all humans seriously this stupid? I said _I will kill you_. You are next in my delicious chain of murders. Consider yourself honoured to be killed a being such as I." _Okay, this man is a nutcase._ John eyed the rather sharp sword he was holding in his hand. _Might as well humour him though._

"A being such as you? You are human though." The man laughed.

"Oh, she didn't tell you? All the more lovely." He grinned, showing his teeth. Was that a pair of fangs John spotted there? "It just makes everything more dramatic. You see, your beloved Kagome has been keeping secrets. I am what you call a demon, and she is what you would call a priestess. Our races frequently battle each other, often killing each other. But Kagome is different - she would rather _befriend_ demons than fight or kill them." He snarled suddenly, making John jump. "She is an abomination. She _deserves_ to _die_."

Though John wanted to say that this was all rubbish, it sounded so much like the story Kagome told him last week. Maybe it was some kind of strange cult?

"Do you know what Kagome does for a living?" John tilted his head.

"She solves cases for Scotland Yard and Mycroft." The 'demon' nodded patronisingly.

"Yes, very good. The cases she takes from Scotland Yard are all perfectly normal cases. The ones she takes from Mycroft deal with both normal things and beings like me."

"So?" He shook his head slowly at John, as if he was being a silly student.

"So, she was fine with that. She solved crimes and killed people. And then she met you. Her 'Something to Protect', as she puts it. Within hours of meeting you, she basically declared her feelings to the world, my world, her inner world. Afterwards, she spent as much time with you as she could, smothering you with her scent, trying to make people like me stay away. And normally, it would have worked, but I've been trying to find a weakness in her for weeks, so all it was was a beacon. You turned from innocent bystander, to _target_, to a weakness in her defences that I could exploit." He grinned maliciously. "Thank God for you, Dr. Watson, thank God for you."

"Your thanking me for existing?" John asked incredulously. The 'demon' nodded. "Despite the fact you're about to kill me?" His palms were sweating, trying to find a loophole that he could escape through, but his mind could seem to get past what the male was telling him and the fact he had, in his hand, a very, _very_ sharp sword.

"Yes. Do you know why she sent you away this afternoon?" John sighed tiredly.

"No. And I don't really want to know, but you're going to tell me anyway, aren't you?" The 'demon' grinned at his sarcasm.

"You're getting better, Dr. Watson. Yes, I am. Well, she changed soon after she saw the body of my last victim, yes? That's because she realised that I am a demon and that she had put you in danger by bringing you along. So, she thought that by making you leave, she would protect you. The question was how? Well, she thought, if I made him angry enough, he would leave and never come back. His life would go back to normal and I could protect him from afar." The 'demon' stood up and started to walk towards John, raising his sword as he did so. John had no choice other than to back away for every step the 'demon' took, trying to keep the distance between them. "And do you know what, Dr. Watson? That will be the second biggest mistake she has ever made." The demon swung down and John closed his eyes, preparing for the impact, having nothing to protect himself with.

"How _dare_ you?" A voice growled. His eyes opened again, only to find Kagome standing right in front of him, stopping the blade with one hand. She didn't look back at him, continuing to glare at the 'demon'. Blood dripped from her palm, but she didn't seem the least bit bothered by it.

"Ah, Kagome, how nice of you to join us!" The 'demon' said with false cheer. John, from his viewpoint, could just about see Kagome's expression. A cold, feral smile stretched across her face and the darkness John had seen so much of surfaced fully and stayed there.

"It's my pleasure, Hayato, let me assure you." She pushed against the sword and the man now known as Hayato moved backwards. "What were you just telling my colleague?" Hayato tutted playfully.

"Now, now. That would be telling." His eyes narrowed and an equally feral smile was placed on his face. "I want to see you either dead, weakened fully, or grieving. It must be a sight to see. I missed it last time." Kagome's hair started to sway in a non-existent wind and the smile widened into a grin.

"And I want to see you dead. Let's see how we both pan out, shall we?" Hayato started glowing a deep red.

"Of course." They leapt at each other so fast that John missed it, his human sight only able to see a mixture of black, blue, and red. They came apart, Hayato panting slightly and Kagome unaffected.

"What wrong, Hayato? Been a bit out of practice with fighting a being greater than you?" Kagome taunted, encouraging the demon to snarl at her. He lifted his sword and swung it, making dark red and brown feathers fly out of it, shooting towards John and Kagome with enough speed to go straight through their bodies. Kagome's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so." She said quietly. Her right hand glowed purple and she waved it in front of her. The feathers dissipated into dust, falling harmlessly to the ground as a purple barrier materialised around them. She cocked an eyebrow. "My turn?"

Hayato said nothing, but leapt from her again. She went to meet him, but he feigned a left and moved around her to strike at John. As soon as she realised what was going on, Kagome concentrated her reiki into her legs and moved as fast as she could to stop the crazed demon. She got there just in time, summoning a sword of pure reiki to defend herself with. Sparks flew as the two rival swords battled against each other. Kagome's eventually won out, Hayato jumping back a bit, his sword now smoking. She knew she had negated the energies, so it was useless for him now. The only thing he had left were his claws and youki.

"What's wrong, Kagome? Did I scare you?" Hayato said, laughing mockingly. The temperature in the room cooled by several degrees. Kagome's eyes got colder and more sadistic by the millisecond until they were silver steel.

"Do you know what happens when something tries to threaten someone under my protection, Hayato? Do you?" She asked quietly, something dark underneath her casual tone.

"No, what?" Hayato looked bored. Kagome looked fake surprised.

"Oh, yes, I forgot you were too young to know… _my mistake_." She said darkly. "I destroy them." Hayato scoffed.

"So what? You purify demons all the time." Kagome nodded.

"Indeed I do, but did I say purify? No I said _destroy_, didn't I?" She said the word viciously. "I will torture you first. Maybe by stabbing you in all the non-fatal areas first and letting you partially heal. Then I'll do it again, but this time I'll run you though. Then I'll remove at least one of your eyeballs - after all, I want you to _see_ me coming - and pour acid onto your chest. And, of course, your so-called _man_hood will have to go at some point. And you know what? You'll be conscious the whole time, and you will be standing, and you won't get the relief of sitting down, or being hung up against the wall. I will make this last for days and then when, you're nothing but a blubbering, feral mess, I'll kill you, but you won't know because you'll be vacant." She sung the word cheerfully, despite Hayato's rapidly paling face and wide, panicked eyes. He started slowly backing away from her, looking for a way out.

John listened and watched in barely concealed horror. Was this what she was really like? She shot her hand out and a barrier circled around Hayato, slowly closing inwards. Kagome sighed regretfully, the darkness shining in her eyes.

"It's a shame I won't get to do any of that, I think I've told you enough. And lucky for you, John's watching. My humanity, my heart. Be thankful for his presence, it's the only thing that's given you a quick death." John turned to her, shocked. Then he remembered his words from earlier and felt a pang of guilt. "Or has he?" She turned to him with a smirk, clearly wanting an answer.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, I have." Kagome nodded sharply. The barrier suddenly closed in completely, not even giving Hayato enough time to scream before he was dust.

Silence put on her crown and reigned over John and Kagome for several long minutes.

Kagome met his eyes guiltily, all traces of the darkness gone, and flinched at what she saw in his face.

* * *

**Right! Not sure when I'm next going to update now due to my internet at home being so unreliable. *eyes baseball bat and broadband box contemplatively* It could be tomorrow, or the day after that. Either way, it will be two chapters, most likely. Feel free to review! :)**

**BP**


	7. Aftermath

**Hello! As I thought, the internet I have at home will not be working poperly for some time, so my once-organised updating schedule is in tatters *cries*. However, there will be two chapters every time I do, so that should hopefully make up for it? Enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 7: Aftermath

_Kagome met his eyes guiltily, all traces of the darkness gone, and flinched at what she saw in his face._

There was hurt there, certainly, along with horror and a small amount of betrayal. Kagome didn't know which one to address first. The silence continues for longer and longer until she couldn't take it any more and broke.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know how to tell you, and then it just seemed easier to not tell you. And then this case and Hayato and weaknesses and -" John held up one hand. She quietened.

"Stop. Just stop." Kagome struggled to not feel resigned. She deserved it, after all. What right did she have to ask for forgiveness? John didn't say anything else and just walked into the kitchen, putting on the kettle and preparing a cup of tea. After he'd made it, he just went back into the living room and sat down on the sofa, sipping quietly at his tea. Though she'd resolved not to speak again, Kagome couldn't stop herself.

"I know I have no right, and I wont ask you to forgive me, but -"

"You're right." He interrupted, his voice detached.

"… About what?" She asked cautiously.

"You have no right." Kagome looked like she'd been punched in the face.

"I didn't mean those things I said. At the apartment. I meant none of it." John finally looked at her properly, one eyebrow raised.

"And here, just now?" Kagome half stepped forward, growling.

"I meant every word." She snarled, the darkness shining brightly in her eyes. "He was going to -" She clenched her fists, unable to finish. She looked away momentarily and then met his gaze again, defiant and determined. "I could not - would not - let that happen. You are _mine_." John bristled at the statement, like he was some kind of ornament.

"I belong to no one." Kagome nodded.

"You belong to no one _but me_." She corrected slightly and John gave that argument up as a lost cause - she obviously meant it in a non-insulting way.

"And your heart?" Kagome turned away so her back faced him and ran a hand through her hair.

"You were partially right, back at the apartment. I don't have a heart, anymore." She laughed bitterly. "I learned to live without it - caring was not an advantage in my past. And what I do now, while I do make allies with some, I do kill an awfully large amount of beings, both human and demonic. I guess I kind of… forgot to get it back." She turned back to him, taking in and skilfully ignoring his shocked expression. "And then you came along, with all your heart and humanity. It felt good, I suppose, to be around someone that had what I had lost, to a certain extent. So I thought, after a while, that maybe what was left of my heart… I could give it to you to look after." Kagome smiled wistfully. "You are very much capable of keeping a heart safe, I imagine, despite the small damage done to your own." She sighed heavily and turned her head to the right, looking disinterestedly at the wall. "But, of course, it will not be a problem to erase myself from your life for eternity. You may keep my heart. I have no use for it."

"Who are you?" Kagome sat down where she stood, John asking that kind of question meaning that she was going to stay longer than five seconds. It was alos a sign that, perhaps, she had not botched up this friendship just yet.

"Kagome Higurashi, Protector of the Shikon no Tama, Killer of Naraku and Assassin Extraordinaire. Also working in the police force. And no, I am not older than I look, though I do age slower, a lot slower, than other humans due to the little gift the God's gave me. I really am twenty one." She looked back at John to see his reaction, but there wasn't an outward one and she wasn't willing to use her reiki to probe deeper.

"What can you do?" Kagome didn't need to ask what he meant, it was fairly obvious.

"Purify, heal, create barriers, summon weapons made out of pure reiki and a few other things." John nodded slowly.

"Reiki?" Kagome frowned slightly. How do describe this?

"It's like pure energy. It comes directly from the Gods, mainly Amaterasu, and is channelled through our bodies. 'Our' being priests and priestesses. Demons have youki, or demonic energy. You saw an example of it today. It's the exact opposite of reiki. There are different power levels for each priest or priestess or demon, all being able to do something different." She paused, wondering if she would sound vain or arrogant, but went ahead anyway. "Last I heard, I was the most powerful priestess for the last six or seven hundred years or so. I am more powerful than my reincarnation, and slightly more powerful than the creator of the Shikon no Tama by a small margin." John tilted his head curiously.

"What's it like to have all of that power trapped in your body all the time?" Kagome looked surprised, not knowing that that would be a possible line of enquiry.

"Um… okay, I guess. I've never really taken any notice of it…" She saw his curiosity and decided that, if he decided that he still wanted her around, she would show him at some point exactly what it was like. "But most of it is kept safely locked in my soul, and the rest… well, I've had it all my life, so I'm not sure what it would feel like for a normal human." John leant forward, intrigued.

"What does it feel like?" Kagome thought carefully.

"I suppose it's like this inner warmth, a constant reassurance that I can protect myself and others if need be." John gasped, remembering what happened earlier.

"Your hand! Is it okay? It got rather bloodied when you caught the sword." Kagome frowned, wondering what it had to do with her hand. She looked at it for a second, utterly confused, until comprehension came to her.

"Oh, that. It's not hurt or anything. Part of the perks from having reiki. I heal at a faster rate than other people. The more reiki a holy person has, the faster they can heal themselves, if they so wished." John nodded in understanding, falling silent. Kagome waited for a few minutes.

"What is the darkness?" She shook her head, confused, and frowned.

"The darkness? What darkness?" John bit his bottom lip, trying to think of how best to describe it.

"Your eyes, they get this darkness in them whenever you speak about cases and how you accomplished them, and when you were dealing with Hayato, and when you were saying about how I was 'yours'." He lifted his fingers for quotation marks, making her smile inwardly, despite the seriousness of their conversation. She mouthed 'darkness' curiously, wondering what he meant by that. Then she made an 'o' shape with her mouth as she realised what he was talking about.

"That is…" She trailed off, not particularly sure herself. "That is a characteristic of my inner self. She is cold, sadistic and yet, fiercely protective over what is hers. She's the one who deals with the killing parts of my life. I built her up over a period of six months and she is me, yet she is not me, if that makes any sense."

"So she's the one more likely to kill?" Kagome shook her head with a predatory smirk.

"Oh no. She's just the one least likely to feel remorse over it. Though she is me, she doesn't allow me to feel compassion at the time, or any other affectionate, kind feelings. Instead, she's all possessiveness, cold fury and sadism. The only thing that can get me to stop is someone I've claimed as mine." John nodded.

"Okay then." Kagome frowned.

"Okay then?" She tried not to sound hopeful, but knew she failed when he smiled at her.

"Okay then. But you will eventually tell me what Hayato was talking about when he was talking about scents and you trying to protect me by sending me away." Kagome jumped up with an excited smile.

"Deal."

* * *

**Hooray! John didn't completely reject Kagome! Isn't that good? And, as promised, there will be two chapters today! Reviews, as always, are welcome. Also, I am aware that this chapter could have been done a bit better and it wasn't as good as the others, but it was the best I could think of at the moment. I may edit this story at a later date, I'm not sure yet, but anyway, I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

**BP**


	8. Sharing

**Yay, two chapters at last! Yeah, I this my updating schedule is totally ruined, but the good news is that there are only two more chapters left after this one! Enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 8: Sharing

A sudden bang in his bathroom made John shoot up in bed, immediately aware of his surroundings. At first he suspected a burglar, but dismissed the notion with the knowledge that they would be more careful and also wouldn't go for the bathroom. There was nothing of any value in there. He could hear the cupboards opening and shutting, so obviously the person was looking for something in particular. They weren't being particularly quiet either, so they were unconcerned about him catching them. Conclusion: Kagome's managed to break into his flat, which is unsurprising, considering what she was ordinarily capable of. He sighed and got out of bed, shuffling to the bathroom.

"Kagome, honestly…" He trailed off, seeing the state the woman was in. Blood was trailing down her left arm and covering the top half of her shirt. She looked up at him, shocked, her right arm still in one of his cupboards, frozen in place. "What the hell happened?" She grinned sheepishly.

"Um… case?" She asked, trying to see if that was the right answer. "The wound is deep enough that I daren't heal it myself without any other type of medical care. Poison, you see." At his alarmed expression, she hurried to say, "No! I'm not going to hospital - my reiki is purifying the poison, so it's ineffective. But while my reiki is stopping the poison, I still need to stop the bleeding." She stopped talking and continued searching. John knew what she was looking for and sighed. He walked into the kitchen and reached beneath the sink, bringing out the kit and walking back into the bathroom and putting it in front of her face.

"This it?" Her mouth opened in surprise.

"Yes, where was it?"

"Kitchen." Kagome frowned slightly and glared at the first aid kit like it was at fault for being in the kitchen instead of the bathroom.

"What the hell is it doing in the kitchen?" John rolled his eyes.

"Remember that flatmate I told you about? He used to do experiments in the kitchen and I eventually got tired of walking to the bathroom and back every other day, so I moved it to the kitchen. When I moved here, I guess it was just habit for me to put it there." Kagome nodded and went to get it, but paused halfway and seemed debate with herself momentarily.

She looked up at him. "Would you do it for me? I wouldn't be able to do it very well on my own." Though her tone was confident, her eyes flickered from him as she talked, telling John that she was both lying and nervous. Nervous about asking, for sure, but why would she lie? John smiled mischievously.

"Liar." Her eyes widened, wondering how she was caught. Then she went over it in her mind and realised her tells. She tilted her head, knowing that he was going to say more. "But okay." Both her eyebrows rose, surprised he agreed, even with knowing she was lying. She nodded cautiously.

* * *

Kagome was unusually quiet as he tended to her wound. John was shocked that Kagome was still conscious. The wound was deep and large, covering part of the top of her arm and her ribs and side. She must have lost at least two pints of blood. But she didn't seem all that concerned by it, so he didn't say anything. She was staring off into space while John cleaned the wound carefully, and he was surprised by how her features didn't even twitch at the pain that it must be causing her. He was bandaging her wounds awkwardly when she spoke, sounding distant.

"Would you like to see?" John jumped, momentarily tightening the bandages too much before gathering his wits again and loosening it again. She didn't seem to notice.

"See what?" She looked at him slowly.

"The end of the story." John furrowed his brows in confusion.

"How do I see the end of the story? You were telling it to me earlier." A small smile raised the corners of Kagome's lips.

"The story… I didn't tell you, did I?" John sighed in mild annoyance and tied off the bandage. He didn't reply, only looked at her expectantly. "I told you it was a story, and described it as a story, partially because it sound so much like a fairytale… a feudal fairytale…" She trailed off and he poked her leg, bringing her back to herself again. "Sorry. It also allowed me to distance myself from it as well. The main reason I told it to you like a story was so you didn't believe me." She smiled bitterly. "You asked for my past, so I told you, but in such a way you wouldn't believe, only think that I told it to you because I didn't want to talk about it." John nodded slowly.

"So… you're saying that the story you told me wasn't a story, it was your past? And you told it to me in a way I wouldn't believe?" He huffed a laugh. "I suppose that worked then, but it did backfire slightly with that case, didn't it?" Kagome smiled tightly.

"Back to the point. Would you like to see?" Kagome's tone was terse, surprising John and yet… not. This was obviously a private thing.

"How would it work?"

"My reiki would bond temporarily with your aura, allowing us to see each other's memories and thoughts. We would be able to control it ourselves, so we choose what the other sees." John nodded thoughtfully and studied Kagome shuttered expression.

"What's the catch?" Kagome sighed and closed her eyes.

"Though the bond, the deeper bond, is temporary, the presence of the other person will always be in the back of your mind. I'm used to it as I can sense your presence anyway, but you'll be constantly aware of how close I am. You'll be… I suppose the best way to describe it would be sensitive to me." John raised an eyebrow, unseen by Kagome, her eyes still closed.

"So?" Kagome's eyes opened and she frowned.

"What?" He rolled his eyes.

"Lestrade told me about you and then seven weeks later he asks for my help. A week later I met you. A week and a day later your case almost got me killed." Kagome winced at the reminder, but was curious as to why, exactly, he was saying all of this. "A month later, and we've spent at least five days a week in each others company. You've managed to get me to treat your wounds for you, not that it was difficult, and yet you're worried that I would mind having a sense of you at all times." He raised an eyebrow again. "Who is being foolish here?" Kagome pouted momentarily, but turned serious again almost immediately.

"You don't understand. You would literally feel my presence, always. That includes the state I'm in. Though," She said thoughtfully. "I can block you out, at least from knowing what my mental, emotional and physical state is." She fell silent for a moment, thinking it all through. "You're sure you wouldn't mind?" She shook her head. "Actually, did you say you even wanted to see it?" John smiled.

"Yes, I want to see it. No, I definitely wouldn't mind." She smiled shyly in response.

"Do you want to do it now, or somewhere a bit more comfortable, at a time more appropriate?" John nodded and wordlessly took her too the living room, sitting them both down in opposite chairs.

"Here." Was all he said when they were settled. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes as she concentrated. John watched in fascination as purple surrounded her, coming off in small wisps before gaining purpose and thin tendrils reached across to him. He couldn't what they grabbed a hold of, but he didn't need to. He could feel it - her. He closed his eyes as well, feeling Kagome in his mind clearly. He made sure to keep all of his mind off limits apart from one scene, one that he partially guided, partially shoved her own mind towards before the memory she wanted to show him played out before his inner eyes.

* * *

It was just as she had described. He watched as all of the minions of Naraku fell. He noticed that he knew everyone's name - which makes sense, he supposed. He was watching her memories, after all. But instead of being in her eyes, what he was seeing was all of it, but feeling what Kagome was feeling, emotionally. Then the lower-level demons - youkai, Kagome's mind supplied - flew towards them. Then, while everyone was distracted, while Kagome watched, her reiki purifying any youkai that came close, Naraku sent out his tentacles, sneaking past her friends' defences. Unable to say anything in particular, Kagome cried out wordlessly as the monk - _Miroku_ - was pierced through first, right in the eye-line of the slayer - _Sango_ -, leaving her desperate and careless. The half-demon - _hanyou, Inuyasha_ - was still fighting his own battles, but caught sight of what was happening out of the corner of his eye. He immediately tried to focus Sango, but it didn't work, and she was also pierced through.

Inuyasha shut his eyes briefly, grieving for a moment, before re-focusing on his fight. The wolf youkai - _Kouga_ - was tearing through the lower-level youkai quickly, but was become frustrated and sloppy, fatigue starting to win over. One seconds worth of distraction was all Naraku needed to strike. Kagome was so very glad that they had left the small fox youkai - _Shippou_ - behind. This was much more than they had ever faced with Naraku before, and they needed as much power as they could manage without having to worry overly much about anyone. Right, Inuyasha and his half-brother - _Sesshoumaru_ - were the only ones left apart from her. They had to make this count.

Kagome moved forward, enraged, dangerous and powerful. The youkai attacking couldn't come near her, being purified from at least seven metres away. She stood between and slightly behind Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, keeping an eye out for any tentacles. Inuyasha, unfortunately, was slightly distracted by her change in position and the tentacle moved to strike, but before it could, Kagome, at the height of her power, formed a bow and arrow out of reiki and destroyed it completely. She did the same to Sesshoumaru's one. Then she sent out enough power to purify every lower-level youkai on the field.

Then it was just the four of them. Naraku chuckled.

"Suddenly eager, dearest Kagome?" Kagome didn't reply, only changed personalities so quickly that if one blinked, one would miss it. She smirked, eyes silver and steel. Cold fury seeped from her form. Inuyasha shot her a concerned glance. Sesshoumaru looked mildly proud. "Oh my, Kagome. One would assume that you had decided to turn over to the darker side with a look like that. What happened to that pure miko?" Kagome's lips lifted into a snarl.

"She has no place here." She growled. "And you, Naraku…" She sighed suddenly, a look of pure regret crossing her face. Inuyasha blinked. "Oh, it's such a shame I have to purify you." She pouted. Naraku smirked.

"Is that so? And why is that?" A dark purple barrier covered the battlefield, preventing anybody from escaping.

Kagome grinned, cold and very nearly feral. Her eyes darkened, started glowing the same colour as the barrier. "I won't get the chance to destroy you. I was planning to do it later, as a treat for you, but I'm afraid that what you have done today has… disappointed me." Her voice lowered, growing softer as she spoke. Her hair swayed in a non-existent wind and the grin diminished into a smile. "I dislike being disappointed. I also hate having to deal with stupid people." She walked forward slowly. "But I suppose it can't be helped." She raised her hand, the fingers covered in purple light. She clicked her fingers. She smiled still, darkly satisfied.

Naraku laughed. "Was that supposed to do something? It seems the miko still can't control her powers." Kagome said nothing in reply. She simply waited. Naraku's eyes widened as he felt the tell-tale pulse.

"Now then, Naraku." She started conversationally. "Why don't you tell _dearest_ Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru what has happened." He snarled wordlessly at her. She tutted in response. "Come now, no need to be hostile." She taunted, looking utterly bored and unimpressed, the smile gone. When she still had no response, she turned to her companions. "Why don't you two listen carefully and see what you hear?" They did and turned towards her in shock.

"Naraku's heart! How the hell did you do that, Kagome?" Inuyasha half-yelled. She waved her hand in dismissal.

"That is not important. Now why don't we get on with the attacking?" Sesshoumaru stepped closer to her, frowning at her, but unsheathed Bakusaiga all the same.

"Do not presume to tell this Sesshoumaru what to do, miko." Kagome ignored this, of course, and continued to lock eyes with Naraku. It was almost like Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, despite being the most physically powerful and with the most weapons, were unimportant - were simply insignificant to this battle. The two brothers attacked Naraku, but were unsuccessful in even bringing Naraku's full attention to them, despite the fact that Kagome was, in fact, doing nothing at all. Kagome suddenly smirked.

"Do you actually think that will work? Honestly?" She asked laughingly. Naraku said nothing. It was only when she felt Inuyasha moved toward her quickly that she realised what Naraku had planned. "Inuyasha! Don't!"

_Too late_.

Horrified, Kagome turned her back to Naraku, leaving Sesshoumaru alone to deal with him. Inuyasha grinned at her, coughing a bit, spraying blood on the grass. She wanted to touch him, but seeing the tentacle peeking through the hole it just made in his chest stopped her.

"Idiot! Why the hell did you do that, Inuyasha! It would have been purified before it touched me!" She yelled at him, fighting tears.

"Feh. When have I ever thought properly when you're in danger?" She frowned at his cocky smirk.

"You'd think that with all that training we did you would be at least able to act fast without killing yourself." Inuyasha laughed, more blood trickling down his chin.

"Yeah," He agreed. "You'd think." Tears began to fall, despite Kagome's efforts to hold them back.

"Why didn't you use Tetsusaiga? Or even your claws?" Inuyasha sighed.

"And that brings us back to my question. When have I ever thought properly?" Kagome laughed, the sound slightly hysterical. Once that registered, she immediately stopped - there was no point in embarrassing herself.

"You had your moments." Inuyasha suddenly groaned. He brought his hand to his chest, feeling the wound. Kagome grasped his cheeks firmly and brought his face closer to hers. "Goodbye, Inuyasha." She kissed him softly, felt him smile slightly against her before she released enough of her reiki to shut his body down, killing him faster than the wound would have. She pulled back just in time to see his eyes soften in understanding and love before they dulled and his body collapsed. She gently lowered his body to the ground, quickly praying for his soul, and turned back to the battle. Her eyes narrowed. "This has gone on far enough." She murmured.

When Sesshoumaru stopped for a moment, momentarily retreating to re-strategise, Kagome walked forward, ignoring him as she passed. She could feel his eyes burning curiously into her back, feel it in his aura. She watched as Naraku turned his attention from Sesshoumaru to her, a victorious light appearing in his red eyes as he took in both her emotional state and the blood that now spotted her clothing.

"Joining in, are we, Kagome?" He asked with a smirk. Her eyes sharpened, hard and silver in the daylight that was swiftly approaching twilight. A smirk of her own twisted her lips.

"Oh yes." And immediately, wind swept around the three of them and tossed their hair as Kagome's eyes glowed dark purple. Her smirk widened, cruelty in every line of her face. "Be thankful that I need to kill you quickly, though you don't deserve it. If I had my way, you would be alive for _days_ before I'm finished with you." She shrugged as her left arm raised. "But _oh well_. The God's can be _so_ impatient." She sing-songed.

Naraku raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of the God's, what do they think of your… change? They can't be pleased." Kagome unleashed her full aura, watching, unsurprised, as it turned a blinding white for a second before returning to dark purple with red spots.

"Does that answer your question, Naraku?" She asked indifferently as she hid it away again, her left arm being the only thing that remained glowing. She flicked her fingers lightly and the barrier that surrounded them separated into two halves. The first half went to Sesshoumaru, both to protect him and to stop him from interfering. The second flickered and faltered as it tried to settle around Naraku. Kagome frowned, not sure why her reiki was not responding to her.

Only when she felt a gentle nudge did she understand. They wanted her to kill him personally. Kagome felt herself nod and pick up the Tetsusaiga from the corpse of her companion. Inwardly she tilted her head to the side - interesting, this really _was_ getting personal. Then she shrugged again. Kagome found that she revelled in the prospect of avenging her friends, using one of their swords, no less. Idly, she wondered what would happen to her friends after all of this but trusted that they were in a better place - or would be, at any rate. She could still feel them lingering on the battlefield, not doubt wanting to watch the demise of Naraku. The thought brought a smile to her face, even as she walked forward towards Naraku, Tetsusaiga fully transformed.

She didn't question why the sword even transformed for her - she knew she was the true owner of the sword - after all, it was she who drew it from its pedestal in the first place. She hadn't known what to do with it, so she had entrusted it to Inuyasha for safekeeping and to protect her when she couldn't protect herself. Once she knew how to protect herself, and also how to use a sword, she had let Inuyasha keep it anyway, knowing that it held back his blood and that it protected him as well - she had plenty of options, weapons and abilities both. She'd had no real need of it. At least she hadn't… until now.

Naraku was less confident now, obviously trying to think of a way out. Kagome tutted. "Now, now. It's not so bad. At least you're going to die quickly." She stated patronisingly. "But if you refuse to behave and try to escape, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to let Sesshoumaru out and let him deal with you." Naraku snarled wordlessly as she gave a small smile of victory, ignoring the look she received from Sesshoumaru for daring to imply that he would follow her orders like a puppy.

Deciding that it was time that she got on with it instead of talking all day, Kagome walked right up to the wavering barrier and raised the sword to shoulder level, pointing right in Naraku's face. He faltered slightly, but smiled anyway and taunted her.

"Tetsusaiga may have transformed for you, Kagome, but do you actually know how to use it?" He said. Kagome raised an eyebrow - had Naraku not noticed her excelling abilities for the past _year and a half_? Honestly? He-who-sent-spies-to-spy on them _didn't_ observe their training? At all? She briefly wondered what else he hadn't noticed. "Of course," He continued smoothly, taking her lack of reaction as an indication that she actually didn't know how to wield a sword. "I don't think you even know how to its attacks either." She allowed him a quiet moment to gloat as she reversed a little bit.

She said nothing as she transformed Tetsusaiga to release Kongosouha. Naraku tried to furiously backtrack, to find an escape. Finding none, he did the next best thing and shot out multiple tentacles in an effort for one to hit her. While they did not hit her, they did make her hesitate slightly as she realised that they actually went beyond her barrier of purity. She did a quick check of the strength as she dodged the tentacles, but it was the same strength as it was just ten minutes before. Her eyes widened minutely. What the hell?

"Kongosouha." She said, swinging the sword. Hundreds of sharp shards of diamond and crystal flew towards Naraku. As she watched with vicious satisfaction Naraku getting stabbed over and over again, she forgot to keep up her awareness. Sesshoumaru noticed too late, unable to do anything about it. Even if he had noticed it earlier, the barrier he was in prevented him from leaving. A tentacle severed from Naraku's body had come up behind her, going with enough speed to penetrate her all the way through. Fortunately, the still-active barrier around her slowed it down slightly, but not enough.

Kagome choked on the air she was about to inhale as she felt the sharp, mind-numbing pain of being stabbed through the gut, all the way through. She looked down, rather confused as to how this had happened. When she saw the tentacle sticking out of her stomach she understood completely. The tentacle wiggled slightly, looking like it was waving, making her laugh. Her laugh grew as she realised what Naraku had done and what he was expecting. She grabbed the tentacle and purified it, sighing as she felt her reiki start healing her stomach. She pouted, deciding to just kill the bastard before he gave her more scars to add to her collection.

Sighing, she infused the Tetsusaiga with her reiki, watching as it started glowing a dull purple. "See you in hell, Naraku. I'll torture you there instead of here - you won't be able to escape me there." A slow, feral smile spread across her face as her sword pulsed, eager to help her. "Wind Scar." She whispered, swinging the sword down to give the attack more force.

Surprised, Naraku could only laugh. "You honestly think that will still effect me as it did three years ago? Kagome, you have -" He cut off with a shriek of shock as the reiki-enhanced Wind Scar ripped through his whole existence, destroying his body and leaving his soul for the God's to collect. Kagome dropped the barrier around Sesshoumaru, still disappointed that she wasn't really able to kill him in her own time.

Kagome reversed the transformation on the Tetsusaiga and grabbed the blade with her free hand. Closing her eyes, she whispered her wishes to the sword, smiling as it responded positively. She then bowed and offered it to the approaching demon lord. The only indication of his shock was the slight hesitance of his next step before his pace smoothed out once more. The Tetsusaiga's comforting weight lifted from her hands cautiously. She smiled as she raised out of her bow to his detachedly inquisitive expression.

"You have the West and Rin. That is more than enough to protect." Her smile dimmed. "Your father would be proud. I know that Inuyasha was." The smiled vanished as her lips trembled, trying to stop herself from crying in front of Sesshoumaru. She looked out over the battlefield. "Good God. Can Tenseiga help at all?" They both looked to the sword on Sesshoumaru's hip. It was silent. Sesshoumaru looked at her and shook his head silently. Kagome bit her lip and nodded, her eyes closed for a moment as she drew in a shaky breath and exhaled slowly. A single tear ran down her cheek. Then she nodded again, more decisively this time. "Right. Sesshoumaru-Sama. Do you plan on staying here or would you rather return to your lands to make sure everyone knows that Naraku is dead?" Sesshoumaru paused and took in the state of Kagome.

"Miko, you are free to accompany me to the Western Citadel. I will send a team out to deal with everything. Rin would like to see you, as well as your little fox kit." Kagome's eyes widened as she remembered that Shippou was at Kaede's village. Then her lips thinned as she realised what she had to do.

She went to where Naraku used to be and picked up the Shikon no Tama. As she made her way back to Sesshoumaru, she thought about what wish to make and what requests she had to make.

"Sesshoumaru-Sama. I humbly request that you make Shippou your ward. I have no means of teaching him the way of youkai, nor do I have the lifespan of youkai and I would die long before he was fully grown." Sesshoumaru's own eyes widened as he realised what she was planning.

"Are you sure this is the path you want to take?" Kagome nodded.

"It's the path I need to take, no matter how much it hurts. The Shikon no Tama must be destroyed and I must return to my time of birth." She shrugged, ignoring the tears that were trickling down her cheeks. "Who knows? I might find something interesting to do. Maybe something resembling this. I liked this. Maybe not in the same country though. I might even find some new friends. Or I might not bother." She looked around the field again, her gaze lingering on her allies and friends. "Maybe I'll just remain at a distance. I'm going to have some nightmare's about this." She laughed self-depreciatingly. "I won't be very good company."

"You're babbling, Miko." She laughed again.

"Oh, I'm going to miss you, Sesshoumaru. I wish we had made friends earlier." His eyes softened.

"Me too, Kagome. I will look after your little kit. He and Rin have made quite the friendship." Kagome giggled, but became solemn very quickly as she raised her hand to display the jewel that had both given her the best of friends and taken them away.

She sent one last smile to Sesshoumaru. "Thank you." He bowed slightly, giving her the respect he felt that she rightly deserved and was bestowed to so very few. She took a deep breath, brought the Shikon no Tama to her lips with both hands as she made her wish.

"I wish the Shikon no Tama would disappear forever."

* * *

**Right, that chapter is done! Actually, it is the longest chapter of this story! Also, if you'd like a Sequel to Forbearance, let me know, as I am thinking about it anyway. Reviews are welcome!**

**BP**


	9. Heart to Heart

**And here we go! Another chapter for you lovely people! Enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 9: Heart to Heart

John was thrust out of the memory, panting and gasping, eyes wide and horror shining deep. Kagome watched him with worry. It was the first time she had ever shown anyone that, due to the intense emotions involved. She also looked at him in a new light. Watching your best friend commit suicide… she couldn't imagine the pain he must have been through in the last two years… _two years_. Everything came together - Mycroft's comment, John's behaviour, the Yarders. She unconsciously narrowed her eyes as she focussed. But what did Mycroft have to do with this? She'd never asked John why he knew Mycroft, or why Mycroft had surveillance on him. It was now fairy clear to her that this flatmate of John's… Sherlock was the thing that connected them both.

Sherlock… where had she hear his name before? Oh. _Oh dear_. She'd definitely heard of him. Whispers in Scotland Yard were very useful sometimes, she mused. Sherlock Holmes, brother of Mycroft Holmes and flatmate/best friend of John Watson. She kept quiet about her realisation while she watched John recover from his experience.

"All right?" John looked at Kagome and knew suddenly that he would always be her friend. After what she'd went through… the fact that she accepted his company was astounding. And what she'd said after the Hayato incident about her heart - he definitely understood and accepted her fully. During the Hayato incident… well, it was fairly clear that Kagome had not lost her touch in the last year.

He nodded. "Fine. How did you manage?" Kagome looked away.

"I went into a serious depression for three months, before my mother had had enough and forced me out of it. I spent the next two weeks trying to recover, before I decided that I wasn't going to heal while I was still in Japan, so I came to England, as far as I could possibly go away from the well that had been the centre of my life for five years, and discovered London." She smiled. "I found out that there were quite a few demons around here and while some of them were friendly, a few had decided that killing humans was a good idea. So I became a kind of assassin, I suppose. One night, about a week and a half since I came to London, Mycroft caught me in the middle of a particularly gruesome encounter. He employed me with a few vague threats, and I threatened him in kind. But because I'm nice, I agreed. He got me a nice job at Scotland Yard, for when he wasn't giving me cases and I was bored."

John, still reeling from the information that had flooded his brain, nodded in understanding. "So everything worked out okay for you then." She smiled brightly at him.

"Of course. I have my work and I have you. Everything is perfect. How did you?" There was no need for elaboration for what she was asking. He smiled thinly.

"I didn't, really. I spent that first year trying to ignore everything to do with Sherlock, only really talking to Molly and Lestrade. Mycroft backed off after I yelled at him for telling Moriarty about Sherlock's past. Harry still called me now and again for drunken rants, which I still hung up on. I worked at the clinic, endured a few nightmares, went to the pub with Lestrade and then met you." He snorted a laugh. "God, I didn't realise how monotonous my life was until you turned up." Kagome looked suddenly serious.

"I'm not Sherlock, John. Don't get mixed up." She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "There will be some things I will and must keep secret from you, due to my lifestyle, and I won't always take you with me." Her eyes opened halfway, giving a half-hearted glare. "I won't have you in danger any more than you have to be." John nodded.

"Fine, but I doubt I could get you and Sherlock mixed up, no matter how similar you are." He cracked a small grin. "For starters, unless you two were hiding something from me, you are two completely different genders. Though, if you are a male, perhaps it's best you tell me now." Kagome laughed.

"No," She said when she calmed down enough to speak. "I am definitely female, unless the mirror was lying this morning. And every other morning." John grinned and sighed.

"Good. Because last time I checked, I was not bisexual." Her eyes widened with what he may or may not have insinuated.

"So…" She cleared her throat and blushed. "Do you want to keep my heart? Because, well, I don't really have any real use for it and I think that you'd be the best person for it and -" A chuckle cut through her rambling.

"Yes." She froze, looking at him hopefully.

"Really?" She asked, not sure if her actually did want her, especially after seeing her past… but then he was an adrenalin addict. John smiled warmly and nodded.

"Really."

* * *

Kagome sighed happily as she sorted through paperwork, checking her computer for the relevant information. Her phone went off, alerting her that she had a text. She wondered if it was Mycroft again. Nope.

_Just to let you know, it's your lunch break. I know how you forget. - JW_

She smiled. She was extremely thankful to their chat last night. Ever since that case with Hayato, she'd been wondering about what he would do. She had mentioned her feelings on that night, but he didn't say anything, so she'd assumed that he'd either rejected her or forgotten about it. Another text came through, bringing her from her thoughts.

_I'm here. - JW_

She blinked. Here? Where's here? A quiet laugh drifted to her ears. She swung round. She knew that laugh. John leaned against the entrance to her office, smiling.

"Should have known that you'd get confused by a text, for all your brilliance." He teased. She pouted.

"It's not my fault you were unusually cryptic." He laughed again. Kagome got up, unable to resist anymore, walked to him. She smiled shyly at him. "So, are you going to join me on my break?" He nodded.

"Indeed, I am." She giggled at his imperious tone.

"I see I have had an influence on your vocabulary." He stood up properly, no longer leaning on the entrance. His hand reached out to stroke her cheek.

"You always have an influence on me." He brought her closer and a blush formed on her cheeks, her eyes going heavy-lidded in anticipation. She licked her lips.

"Is that so?" They didn't say anymore, lips no longer available to accentuate words, being occupied with the other's lips. They ignored the whoops of some of the Yarders, and the distinctive grumble and groans of disgust of Anderson. Donovan sighed. _Well_, she thought, _glaring at Anderson who was scrunching his face up in disgust, at least someone can have a happy relationship._

When they broke apart for air, they noticed the audience they had and blushed.

"Congratulations!" They chorused. Kagome giggled while John smiled. She noticed Anderson.

"What's wrong, Anderson? So unhappy in your relationship that you hate to see anyone else happy?" She taunted. "I see you haven't been sleeping well - too many night's on the couch perhaps?" Anderson sneered and stalked off. Donovan sighed.

"Congratulations." She said as she walked past. Kagome smiled. Maybe Donovan wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**And this is pretty much the End, so it's only the Epilogue now, but I might only upload this chapter today, just to keep you on edge a bit... *laughs evilly*... but no, I really will be uploading the Epilogue another day. Reviews are... well, you know the drill.**

**BP**


	10. Epilogue

**At last! It's finally finished! Well, I hope you like the way I've set this up for Forbearance, as I did write this whole story ****_after_**** Forbearance. So... enjoy!**

**BP**

* * *

Chapter 10: Epilogue

_Six months passes quickly_, John thought. He'd moved into Kagome's apartment, seeing as they spent more time there anyway. They'd come to an agreement: when there was a case that did not involve demons, John was welcome to come along and Kagome would signify that by announcing to him that they had a case. However, if it did involve demons, John was not in any way welcome to accompany her. She alerts him of this by telling him in a distracted way that she had a case and not to distract her to much. If that happened, then she was usually cold and distant for the duration of the case, trying her best to solve it as quickly as possible. He always thought it was cute how affectionate she was after such a case, but never showed it, knowing that she did it because she felt guilty that she'd basically ignored him. He didn't mind - he knew that she always did those cases quicker now because she worried about him, just in case any of her Marks decide to use him against her like Hayato did.

"Hey, John?" He hums in response, turning away from his book and looking at her. She's sitting on her sofa, and looks nervous. Immediately concerned, he puts his book down.

"Kagome?"

"Would you like to move back into 221b? I mean, I just thought it would be nice. I'm not trying to force you or anything, and if you're not ready then that's fine and -"

"Okay." He interrupts her, hiding a smile at her rambling. She always does it when she's nervous. Her eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Oh. Okay then." He nods and gets up.

"I'll go and visit Mrs Hudson and ask about it." Kagome gives a small smile.

"I'd go with you but…" She shrugs sheepishly. "I've got research to do." He smiled and leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

"I'll see you later then." She nodded and watched him walk out. She waited until she heard the door close before doing what she needed to do. Something was niggling her mind, something about Sherlock. She closed her eyes and dug deep in her soul, going deeper until she was able to find whoever she needed to on any plane and talk to them. Part of the 'gift' from the God's as payment for her mission in Sengoku Jidai. She didn't know how long she was doing that for, but it must have been at least half an hour before she climbed back out of her soul with new knowledge. A cold smirk crossed her lips as she picked up her phone and dialled a well-known number.

"Hello, Kagome." Said Mycroft after a moment of hesitance. She knew why. She never called him unless it was for something less than pleasant.

"Hello." She purred. "I believe there something you've been keeping from John, yes?" A pause.

"Not that I can think of." She scowled at the camera she knew was in the corner of the room.

"Liar. I want you to text me as soon as he is on his way to see John again." She smiled thinly. "I want to have words with him." She could almost hear Mycroft's flinch.

"Be gentle Kagome, the separation has not been easy for him either." She nodded. "And I have a gift for you." She sat up in interest and had a feeling that if she had Inuyasha's ears, they would be perked up as high as they could go.

"Oh?" Mycroft hummed in agreement but said nothing more. She waited, but when it seemed he wasn't going to talk anymore, she huffed in annoyance, even though she felt amused at his sometimes-childishness when dealing with her. "Mycroft." She whined. "Tell me. You're not being fair."

She could hear the grin on his face. "Case. One you can take John on as well." She squealed in excitement.

"Yay! Thank you Mycroft!" And she was truly grateful - there had been a lull in cases John could go on recently and she felt guilty. She much preferred it when it was evenly matched.

"Your welcome. I'll text you the details later." He hung up, leaving her to stand up and pace around the room, barely able to hold in her excitement. Ten minutes passed and John walked in, taking off his coat. He turned to say something to her, but was stopped before he could by Kagome giving him a heated kiss. Not one to protest, he reciprocated eagerly.

"What was that for?" He asked when they broke apart, panting slightly. She smiled at him cheekily.

"Do I need a reason?" He rolled his eyes.

"Of course you do." He said teasingly. She shrugged.

"We have a case!" She grinned.

"See? I told you there has to be a reason."

It was her turn to roll her eyes as she replied. "Whatever. Come on! Let's go!" He laughed and got his coat back on, following her out the door.

* * *

A few days later, sitting comfortably in 221b Baker Street's sofa, Kagome watched John fondly as he moved around the familiar kitchen, making a cup of tea. He turned to her.

"Tea?" She smiled.

"Please." He turned back to the kettle.

She sighed. _I wonder how long it will be before Sherlock returns and knocks this place upside down?_ She thought as she tried to shake off the guilt at hiding this from John.

* * *

**And it's finally finished! Hooray! Now, let me know if you want a Sequel to Forbearance, because it is available to be started now. I have an idea for it, but I want to know if you guys want it. If you do, feel free to review and/or message me! It'll probably be called Figments Of Power :)  
**

**BP**


End file.
